Comments on: Valve: “Pirates are underserved customers”

By: Alarik

Alarik — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 20:57:56 +0000

Rather interesting (and by interesting I mean insanely low) prices of Steam games in Polish game shop:
http://g2play.pl/

Maybe it was already mentioned here, who knows (well, Google probably does)…

By: Zeh

Zeh — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 07:53:10 +0000

@espy – thanks! I do read a lot of this stuff, you wouldn’t believe the time I spend on RPS and ShackNews. :D

By: Phill

Phill — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 12:05:53 +0000

Just because your game gets on the Steam Platform, it’s no guarantee that it’ll do well – even if it’s good!

They should be making more of advertising in the ‘real world’, if they want real platform status – like Apple’s iTunes.

Plug for deserving case: Buccaneer: The Pursuit of Infamy which is available on Steam, has great multiplayer, but very few people to play with :(

By: Hmm-Hmm.

Hmm-Hmm. — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:30:51 +0000

Looking at Steam as a platform of sorts isn’t making me feel more liable to use it. Why? I’m wondering about that myself a bit, for it doesn’t exactly change what it does.

In part it is the idea of exclusivity, the closed-off service you’ll have to sign up for to get specific things you can’t get at other places. Consider consoles, which often compete with eachother through exclusive offers. Then again, Steam is free to use (it is, isn’t it?).

Maybe it’s also because in another area, that of net communication, I’ve come across so many different ways, applications, that in other areas, such as games, here, I feel the need to be rather selective in what I sign up for.

This is why I’d rather have a more accessible and less exclusive service. It still feels as if I’m afflicited with an unreasonable Steam-itch, as I’m not actively trying to dislike it, but I just don’t (without trying it, even).

By: Moonracer

Moonracer — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 18:18:04 +0000

How much does a “service” (seems better than “platform”) like Steam suffer from piracy anyhow? I guess indirectly they do.

A lot of good points made by people here. I’ve always seen distribution delays and price differences as unfair and counter productive. Hopefully Valve will actually act on these ideas and change their own ways as an example to others rather than just try to sound good.

That said I have to agree that a lack of demos (or even in-game footage!) probably has more to do with piracy. I haven’t pirated a game in probably 10 years but there have certainly been moments where I have thought about it just to “try a game out” (and have wished I had).

By: SuperNashwan

SuperNashwan — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:38:48 +0000

It’s easy for Valve to be blasé about piracy, they’re shifting millions of units of their games anyway. It’s almost as if they think the key to a chart topping game is making it really good. Good luck with that theory Valve, it’ll never catch on!

By: itsallcrap

itsallcrap — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 11:58:22 +0000

Valve just make me happy. We have this amazing games company producing primarily PC games and they just ‘get it’ to an an paralleled extent. They don’t punish gamers because some of them are pirates, they make sure people get the service they want so they won’t pirate.
Take note, all ye of little faith.

By: Tei

Tei — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:45:37 +0000

Digital distribution is comming. The only problem is that some people have crappy internet connections. With caps and slow speed. Theres also the thing DD is not cheaper, and adds more DRM. So is not better. Could be quick, easy (in a console-ish sense) and convenient. And thats what is need to fight piracy: A distribution method for the lazy. Anyway this will not kill all piracy. There are, and there will be always, the “freeloaders”, people that just want everything from TV for free (there are free stuff, but “freeloaders” are not interested because is not advertised on TV). Steam will not fix the problem with “freeloaders”.

By: Joseph

Joseph — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 06:39:55 +0000

*puts hands up to having read it as undeserved – 3 times*

Only just got it after reading the article then looking back up at the headline.

Valve is a good platform.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 06:04:13 +0000

“Probably brought up before but how many “pirate” TV shows due to their country being 1-2 seasons behind or whatever?”

Try being an American in a different country (Japan). They’re on season 2 of heroes, way behind on others, and some series aren’t even out. Although, I can watch “Barb Wire” if I want.

Hulu, NBC.com won’t play for me (they don’t play internationally). I used to bittorrent the Daily Show, but now I watch it at comedycentral.com because it comes out here around 4pm the next day, even faster than bittorrent. I’d count myself as “unde(r)served”.

By: jalf

jalf — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 23:49:42 +0000

A program? calc.exe is a program. It doesn’t patch my games, it doesn’t provide a DRM solution to publishers, it doesn’t store my savegames across installs. It doesn’t submit usage statistics to the publisher or any of the dozens other things Steam does. That’s why call it a platform. Not a platform in the sense that the 360 or Wii are platforms, but in the sense that it attempts to provide all the services necessary when distributing a game online.

By: Cunningbeef

Cunningbeef — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 23:31:19 +0000

@RC1290: I believe the term is “program”.